It is clear that the American people are asleep on this issue and insufficiently
represented by elected officials. In spite of the powerful moneyed influence
of the U.S. Chamber of Congress and the business community support for an
unending supply of cheap foreign labor and strong ethnocentric lobbying, a
concerned activist by the American people would be a powerful countervailing force. What is lacking is sufficient focused leadership on a large and prominent
enough scale to coalesce and effectively offer pressure on government officials on all levels. Altho Numbers USA does a great job.

REPLY TO PHIL;
You don't have much on the ball.........or any sense of reality.

NumbersUSA Moderator: I could be wrong, but I assume Phil means that the Senate has basically sent a signal to illegal workers that there is not need to leave because the U.S. Senate will help them fill American jobs - legally or illegally.

The Chamber of Commerce is an organization of 3 million businesses, most of them small businesses. If the owners of those businesses believe in what is being done in their name to American working families, and they must because the Chamber has been doing it in the most ruthless way for a long time,then we have a larger moral problem than the venality and cynicism of our elected representatives. I grew up in Iowa, where businessmen and workers lived next door to each other and shared tools and looked out for each other's kids. Now, the lure of cheap immigrant labor has caused our businessmen to see the people they grew up with as just an impediment to making more money. Americans have become an obstacle to be swept aside and marginalized for personal profit. That moral breakdown is an even stronger reason for a moratorium on immigration than unemployment and overpopulation. Business hungers for more and cheaper imported labor and our crooked politicians gleefully feed that appetite. The moral hazard of knowing they could get away with doing things they knew were wrong led to our financial catastrophe, and mass immigration represents the same kind of evil temptation to American business. It's time to remove the temptation before it destroys us as a society.

NumbersUSA Moderator: The largest organization of small business owners (NFIB) publicly endorsed the SAVE Act, which had E-Verify as its foundation. Like so many things, this could mean that the Chamber of Commerce simply caters to outlaw businesses.

If executive bonuses and perks (for firms receiving TARP and stimulus funds) is an inflamitory issue, as many in congress have rightfully acknowledged, why is'nt the hiring of foreign guestworkers by same at least as inflamatory since is is a direct threat to jobs, an outflow of puchasing power from our economy, and serves to facilitate more offshoring. A lot of attention is given by the media to corporate junkets and naming sports stadiums but not to H-1B's etc.

Excellent commentary Roy!

Let me provide an answer to your first question. I analyzed why they are lobbying against SA306 in my latest newsletter.

http://www.jobdestruction.info/

Beck raised this question because the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Immigration Lawyers Association haven't finished with Senate Amendment 306 in the Stimulus bill. As explained in my previous newsletter, SA306 was watered down at the urging of AILA lobbyists who got it to the point that it will save at most 1,000 jobs. You would think the greedsters wouldn't care to shoot it down again, but they do.

The big question is why?

After the Senate voice vote to amend SA306 it would stand to reason that the USCoC and AILA would let dead dogs lie, but they aren't. In order to understand why let's look at what SA306 will and won't do.

What SA306 will do:

1) Give us a symbolic victory that could be used as a marker in the future to fight H-1B.

What SA306 won't do:

1) Prevent banks from hiring foreigners by using H-1B, L-1, or TN visas.

2) Prevent banks from using bodyshops like Tata or Infosys that use nothing but H-1Bs or L-1s.

3) Prevent offshoring of bank functions or services.

4) Save jobs for Americans.

So, apparently these organizations are so obsessed with total victory in all things immigration, they will even spend effort to deny a miniscule symbolic victory for our side. They won't be happy until the wipe SA306 off the face of the Earth!

Be sure to read the USCoC letter to the Senate here:

http://www.aila.net/content/default.aspx?docid=27953

As a long time resident of Marion County/Indianapolis I want to thank NumbersUSA for mentioning the Indianapolis Star, a Gannett owned paper, along side the NYT and WSJ as a shameless purveyor of Open Borders propaganda against the interests and wishes of the vast majority of Hoosiers.
Here are recent examples of Star articles/editorials opposed to proposed legislation insisting that Indiana businesses use E-Verify. The legislation is very close to that already in effect and constitutionally upheld in Arizona and Oklahoma.
Illegal-worker bill foes united
http://www.indystar.com/article/20090205/BUSINESS07/902050461/1305/ARCHI...
Notice how the above article paints Sen Mike Delph(R) as a eccentric quixotic figure with out mentioning the vast support his legislation had last year, before the economic downturn, from the majority of Hoosiers across party lines. And that is coming from a life long liberal Democrat.
Wrong time, wrong focus: Immigration bill flawed
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090125/OPINION08/90...
That editorial reads like a mash-up of Pro-Open Borders lobby talking points doesn't it?
Last year similar E-Verify legislation from Sen Delph passed both the Indiana House and Senate with wide bipartisan majorities. Then months passed as the corrupt leadership in both parties under House Speaker Pat Bauer(D-South Bend) and Senate Majority Leader Brian Bosma (R) conspired to let the bill die rather then hash out the differences in joint committee. There was no final vote taken before last year's session closed. Neither candidate for Governor, the incumbent and now reelected Mitch Daniel(R) or Jill Long(D) championed the legislation during the election.
All of this was able to happen because time after the Indianapolis Star has relentlessly pushed Pro-Open borders talking points opposed to immigration enforcement and E-Verify. Last year the Star did all it could to keep the immigration issue out of state and local elections while denouncing Pro-Enforcement candidates and endorsing some of most tainted pro-open borders crooks.
Please NumbersUSA do not forget critical fights at the state level to expand use of E-Verify

NumbersUSA Moderator: Some of our best victories have been at the state and local level. We've been very involved in Indiana and continue to put resources into local action.

Without safety clauses for stimulus dollars to STRICTLY benefit American Citizen’s, NO alalphabet soup of visa holder’s or green card holders, we never needed them here to begin with, they and their greedy employer’s along with outsourcing of jobs and WELFARE To fund them and the relatives they bring, once some of them become legal residents, is a big part of the reason for our economic collapse! We need to stop the insane practice of bringing in anymore foreign worker’s NOW more than ever. American’s forced to compete for everything from available/affordable housing to JOBS is an outrage especially when they are being asked to foot the bill for those robbing them of their heritage.. If those who have BETRAYED us in Congress do not take a good hard look at the CATASTROPHE they are imposing on the American people in a guise of bailing us out, and rethink their foolish position,and WORK FOR US THE AMERICAN CITIZEN FOR A CHANGE! I ask God to exact justice upon the traitorous self centered EVIL political officials who continue to betray us.